The new Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer delves into the chilling story of Dennis Rader, the notorious BTK killer, from the perspective of his daughter, Kerri Rawson. Arrested in 2005, Rader’s crimes shocked the world.
However, for Kerri Rawson, the revelation that her father was a serial killer came at a deeply personal moment, as she was newly married and expecting her first child at the time. The documentary captures her journey of grappling with the profound trauma while confronting the unsettling truths of her own childhood.
Despite the immense emotional weight, Rawson has worked toward healing and understanding. She has also collaborated with investigators to help connect cold cases to her father’s crimes. However, the documentary, My Father, the BTK Killer, reveals that she sees this project as the closing chapter in her public addressing of her father’s crimes.
How Kerri Rawson’s Relationship With Her Father Has Changed
The documentary My Father, the BTK Killer offers a rare glimpse into Kerri Raws on’s complicated relationship with her father, Dennis Rader, as she reflects on a visit to him in prison. That visit became intense amid a confrontation about her father’s potential involvement in more crimes.
Though she defines her relationship with her father as “fraught and evolving” in the documentary, director Skye Borgman shared that Kerri Rawson has kept a distance from her father since the filming for the documentary wrapped.
“Since that visit, she’s kept the relationship at a distance. She has chosen not to maintain contact,” Borgman told Tudum, as she explained,
That in itself has reinforced the boundaries that Kerri has set […] She has also consciously stepped back from being a conduit for information [for investigators], recognizing that her healing cannot hinge on what her father does or does not reveal.
Borgman describes the documentary as a closing chapter for Kerri Rawson, giving her the opportunity to move forward and find peace, separate from the horrifying legacy of her father’s crimes.
Skye Borgman Reflects on Building Trust to Tell Kerri Rawson’s Story
My Father, the BTK Killer director Skye Borgman, also known for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish and American Murder: Laci Peterson, has emphasized that building trust was essential in bringing Kerri Rawson’s story to the screen.
“[Kerri] has lived much of her life under the weight of her father’s crimes and is understandably cautious about who is allowed into that space,” she told Tudum, explaining,
I needed to earn Kerri’s trust, and that meant showing up with transparency, listening to her needs, and respecting the boundaries she spent years building.
And Borgman shared that she made sure that Kerri felt in control of her own story, rather than letting others define her narrative. “My role was to create a framework of care and integrity around a narrative that has too often been defined by others,” she added.
The documentary revisits the chilling legacy of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, who terrorized Wichita, Kansas, committing 10 brutal murders between 1974 and 1991.
Rader’s cryptic messages to media outlets stopped in the early ’90s, only to resume in 2004, ultimately leading to his capture when a floppy disk traced back to his church revealed his identity. Through Borgman’s careful approach, Kerri’s perspective finally takes center stage, giving her story the sensitivity and respect.
Catch up with Kerri Rawson’s story on My Father, the BTK Killer, now streaming on Netflix.
